I wanted to like this movie more than it actually turned out I did. Not by much, mind you, it scarcely looked like Oscar material to start with. But a couple of the jokes went past the point of humorous implications that made me laugh to the point of crass displays that made me cringe.
Despite this, however, I found myself laughing heartily more often than not, particularly at the shock/slapstick gags which proliferate throughout the movie. I wasn't quite laughing to the point of tears, but I did become self conscious of the neighbors on account of how much noise I made on more than one occasion.
I was surprised to see some of the celebrity clout cast in this comedy, but not unpleasantly so. Mark Strong shines, in particular, when you think of how many "better" scripts were likely on his radar when he chose to do this. He never seems to be phoning it in, even though this is a movie where he could easily get away with it. Cohen, the master of ethnic ambiguity, is his usual chameleon-goofball, this time as a football hooligan, to hilarious effect.
This comes recommended for the not-easily-offended, but it wasn't one you need to see on the big screen.
